Races in Moonthrone

Character RacesHumans—The Spire Lords are the most infamous of the humans of Moonthrone. Some have been twisted to be barely human through their exposure to the magical substances popular in the City Above (particularly gnome flesh), but the majority of Moonthrone’s residents are normal humans of all types, struggling to get by.

Elves—Elves are not too common, as the dirty city life of Moonthrone tends not to be to their liking. In the City Above however, high elves are quite fashionable, and some who find the extravagant lifestyle of Moonthrone’s nobility attractive have been adopted into noble houses.

Dwarves—In the early days of Moonthrone’s history, dwarven slaves were imported for much of the original construction and carving of Moonthrone’s City Above, but the stories say they didn’t quite take to Mooncoral artistry, so were conscripted to work on some of stonework and embassies of the nobility on the City Below—particularly the trade hub around the Riverspire, which is the focal point of aristocratic activity at ground level. Now, there are a relatively large amount of free dwarves descended from those original slaves, who live lives much like the rest of the underclass in the City Below—poor and hungry. They tend to intermingle freely among the human population, largely ignorant or uninterested in the dwarven cultures and civilizations outside the city; dwarven civilization is largely viewed much like folklore or fairy tales—interesting to dream about, but too far removed from everyday life to be of any practical value.

Halflings—Halflings in Moonthrone tend to be servants or slaves of the wealthy, and thus are not typically seen below Midspire. It is dangerous to be a Halfling without the uniform of a Noble or Merchant House (or the clear membership of a powerful gang) to protect you, as the uneducated are apt to confuse a Halfling for a gnome, and murder them for a chance to earn a king’s ransom selling gnome meat. And then of course there are those who may still be educated, but see no problem scamming a patsy with child or Halfling parts that won’t betray lack of magical gastronomic qualities until it is far too late to do anything about it.

The docks and port areas of Moonthrone are an exception to the general rule that halflings should be wary in Moonthrone. Superstitions regarding halfling luck are particularly strong amongst sailors, and most ships entering or exiting the ports would never tempt fate by embarking without a halfling aboard. Most dock workers and sailors in Moonthrone are quick to step in for any halfling they see mistreated, in the hopes that some halfling luck might rub off on them.

Half-Elves—The majority of Half-Elves in Moonthrone are the noble sons and daughters of Spire Lords who adopted and/or married elves into their family. Some have found their fortunes so declined due to infighting between Houses or scandals that their fates have tossed them into lives of trade in the Mid-City, or, even worse, lives of hand-to-mouth survival with the rabble of the City Below.

Half-Orcs—Next to humans (and maybe dogmen, if you count the city guard), Half-Orcs may be the most populous race of Moonthrone, on par and only rivaled by dwarves. Legends say that before he developed dogmen, the Wizard Xarog Mourn imported orc soldiers, and even toyed with orc-human breeding experiments before turning to lycanthropes to develop dogmen, but found orc temperaments too savage and chaotic for his purposes. Half-orcs have been mingled with Moonthrone’s population for so long, they do not share the same stigma that may follow a half-orc in most other civilized lands. Racism and fear still hold them back more than the dwarves, however, who might at least be allowed to visit the City Above for guild or artisan business. Any Spire Lord would be aghast to see anything so uncouth on his property in the City Above.

Dragonborn—Dragonborn are not unknown in Moonthrone, but far from common. Those who know no better are likely to fear them for the wrong reasons, thinking their monstrous form the result of warlock corruption.

Gnomes—Gnomes tend to be either slaves, or in hiding. Those not slaves tend to hide since, in addition to serving as slaves, gnomes also tend to be viewed as cattle in Moonthrone. Hence there are not many gnomes around Moonthrone. Gnome flesh is said to grant mystical powers, be more intoxicating than any drug, and is highly sought after by the aristocracy. Exclusive dining parties among the city’s elite are prestigious and flamboyant events.

Tieflings—Tieflings are feared throughout most of Moonthrone, though at least tolerated for the most part. Much of the citizenry think they are all warlocks, and shun them accordingly. Many commoners may not even be aware that tieflings are born tieflings and not just warlocks twisted by corruption from devilish patrons. However, there are enough licensed warlocks bound to approved devils and fiendish patrons that most business owners and those in authority will at least put up with them. The existence of Devil Town, which houses one of Moonthrone's only officially allowed temples, to Asmodeus, is probably the biggest cause of this grudging acceptance. Supposedly Asmodeus himself came to a truce with Xarog Mourn and reached the accord around 100 years ago that led to the licensing of fiendish patrons in Moonthrone. Not surprisingly, the largest concentration of tieflings in Moonthrone is in Devil Town (which was once called the Ivy District, not that most remember).

Marcrow
Marcrow resemble Halfling sized anthropomorphic crows with simian features. These avian humanoids have clawed feet and hands, which they use to scramble up and down the towers and spires of Moonthrone. Though unable to fly, their arms have an extendable membrane of skin similar to a flying squirrel's, onIy lined with vestigial feathers. This possible holdover from a winged ancestor allows them to glide to a limited extent, a trait that has saved many a marcrow who may have lost his grip on (or been thrown from) a high perch or windowsill. As a result, they tend to wear lose robes, rags, or sleeveless shirts that allow them to unfurl their feathers unhindered.

Elder male marcrow often have feathered head crests, sometimes brightly colored. Otherwise, male and female marcrow are notoriously hard to distinguish by most mammalian races.

The insult, "rat-birds," often used to describe the bird-men is actually more apt than most realize, as their feathers are blended with fur. Some scholars have speculated that marcrow may even share some ancient ancestry with another bird-mammal hyrbrid, the owlbear, but such speculation is probably due more to the fact that so few bird-mammal hybrids are known than any real shared heritage.

The diminutive birdmen of Moonthrone are generally ignored or outright shunned by most due to their reputation as disease carriers, beggars and thieves. Marcrow scrape by on scraps that fall to the ground and what they can snatch and scavenge from the roofs and railings of citizenry higher up in the city. There are rumors and legends of a mystical flying city where Marcrow rule in luxury and the streets are lined with bread-growing trees and whiskey fountains, but no one takes those tales seriously, not even the marcrow who spread such tall tales.

Dogmen
Dogmen are the descendants of humans and werewolves, the result of generations of controlled breeding by the Wizard-King Xarog Moun to produce the perfect soldiers and guards for the city of Moonthrone.